Creator of Creativity and Personal Mastery course; Author, HAPPINESS AT WORK

Jennifer Hyman

Co-founder and CEO, Rent The Runway

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith

Executive educator, coach, and author

Norm Brodsky

Columnist, Inc.

PROGRAM

CONFERENCE

The conference is three days of learning, leisure, and connecting with leaders from every corner of American business. With speakers such as Michael Dell, Kip Tindell, and Dr. Brené Brown, you're certain to leave with powerful new perspectives and new momentum for your company's growth.

NETWORKING

Meet and mingle with this year's elite group of award winners at a variety of special events, including the Welcome Reception, the Conference Party, the annual Inc. 5000 Golf Tournament, and the prestigious Black-Tie Gala & Awards Ceremony.

CELEBRATION

After three unforgettable days, you will be fêted at an elegant Black-Tie Gala, beginning with a Champagne Soiree, followed by our prestigious Awards Ceremony and Dinner, where you will be officially acknowledged, and capped with an unforgettable evening of music and dancing.

TRAVEL

AGENDA

Highlighted Events

Wednesday, October 15

7:00 am

Inc. 5000 Golf Tournament

Start the Inc. 5000 Conference off in full swing with an exciting golf tournament at the Wildfire Golf Club, located at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. Wildfire Golf Club is among the top Phoenix golf courses, situated in the rugged Sonoran Desert of Northeast Phoenix, and features two picturesque 18-hole championship courses designed by two of golf’s greatest legends, Arnold Palmer and Nick Faldo. Play with colleagues, or join forces with fellow Inc. 5000 honorees. Participation is limited, and reservations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. There is an additional fee per player to participate. Breakfast and lunch are included.

Wildfire Golf Club

11:00 am

Inc. Day of Service: Military Entrepreneurs Mentoring Fair

Join us as we host our annual mentoring fair designed specially for service personnel—active and veteran—and military spouses. Conference attendees are welcome to participate as mentors for the day, to share experiences with servicemen and -women, and to provide insight on successfully starting, building, or expanding a business. Besides a networking lunch and one-on-one mentoring sessions, a special session will feature beloved Inc. columnist and serial entrepreneur Norm Brodsky. The event opens with an exclusive Meet & Greet with Marine Corps veteran turned serial entrepreneur Bob Parsons, founder of GoDaddy. Pre-registration is required for all mentor and mentee participants. Program concludes at 4:15 p.m.

Welcome Remarks: Eric Schurenberg, president and editor in chief, Inc.

Grand Sonoran H & I

1:00 pm

INC.EDU Open-Book Management: How to Play (and Profit) from The Great Game of Business

Participants will create a short-term, intensely focused plan designed to rapidly correct a weakness or pursue opportunities within your business. It’s continuous improvement driven down to the floor level of your company. There is a common goal, a scorecard and a reward for winning. This is a highly interactive training session that will give you the skill-set and the tool-set you need to design and apply effective Games within your company. In this fun and interactive workshop, participants learn to develop their own Great Game to…

…keep people focused on a common goal.
…encourage employees to work together and build a winning team.
…create line of sight between team contributions and your company’s strategic goals
…reinforce business and financial literacy training.
…develop an engaged team that drives results and creates wins.

Attendees will leave understanding the fundamentals of The Great Game of Business, and take away the knowledge of how to immediately begin implementing it into their own business and begin driving results.

Additional fee to participate. Limited availability.
Speaker: Steve Baker is the Vice President of The Great Game of Business, Inc.

1:00 pm

INC.EDU Pragmatic Leadership Skills to Move Your Agenda

A good idea is not enough. The difference between a good idea and a successful one is execution. The truth is that moving agendas of any kind depends on your leadership competence. Leadership is about moving an idea to successful implementation and getting results. Of course, getting results is not simply a function of personality, but rather a function of your political competence. Do you have the necessary skills to rally people around your ideas, to anticipate resistance, to mobilize a team, and to overcome inertia and create change? Do you have the capacity to get the buy-in for the purpose of moving agendas forward? The good news is that leadership can be learned. The Bacharach Leadership Group specializes in training executives the learnable skills of political competence. In this hands-on workshop, you will be introduced to the skills of political competence, develop an action plan to master moving agendas ahead, and learn how to strategically put a good idea in place.

Pre-conference Session: What Keeps Entrepreneurs Up At Night? 10 Things to Tackle Now So You Won’t Have to Worry Later

Sponsored by The Principal Financial Group®

All day, every day you have a lot on your mind. And if it’s not about business, it’s about your personal life. In this special session, experienced presenters from the Principal Financial Group° will provide tips and resources to help ease your mind. They’ll share best practices they’ve seen used at successful privately-held companies in a variety of areas, including business valuation and growth, business protection, and succession planning. They’ll also talk about how to recruit and retain top executive and employee talent, how to incorporate health and wellness programs into your company and the importance of balancing your business and personal finances. This conversation will provide insights on what works, what doesn’t, and what opportunities to watch for.

Networking With Purpose

Hosted by the Inc. Small Giants Community

Kickstart your networking at the Inc. 5000 Conference by creating meaningful connections with your entrepreneurial peers that will enhance the content and discussion throughout the conference. Seasoned entrepreneurs and members of the Inc. Small Giants Community, Inc. editors, and Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 CEOs running our nation’s fastest-growing companies and will be there to mingle and interact. The conversations promise to be provocative and enlightening. Beer, wine, and snacks will be served.

Grand Sonoran E

4:00 pm

Married to the Business (and Each Other): Cocktails with the Brodskys

Are you married to someone who’s married to a business? Or are you married to the business (and each other)? All significant others of entrepreneurs are invited to be a part of this candid, interactive conversation hosted by serial entrepreneurs Elaine and Norm Brodsky, who are quintessential partners in business and life. The two will share stories and take questions. This is your chance to meet and connect with others like you, as well as to hear from those who’ve been there, done that, and have the relationship battle scars to prove they have successfully moved beyond the toils and troubles of business. Space is limited. Cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Welcome and Exclusive Opening Session: Are You a Giver or a Taker?

For generations, we have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion, hard work, talent, and luck. But today, success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others. At work, most people operate as takers, matchers, or givers. Using his own pioneering research, Adam Grant, the Wharton School of Business’s youngest tenured professor and a best-selling author, will explain these three styles and how each has a surprising impact on success (for better or for worse). Find out which style best represents you and why Grant believes that professional and personal achievement is based on making others around you successful and happy.

Welcome Remarks:Eric Schurenberg, president and editor in chief, Inc.

Speaker:Adam Grant, professor, the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania; and author, Give and Take

Grand Saguaro

6:00 pm

Inc. 5000 Welcome Reception

Opening night is all about breaking the ice. Grab a refreshing cocktail, enjoy an appetizing bite, and mingle with leaders from some of the most dynamic companies in the country. This fun and casual soiree is the official kickoff to the Inc. 5000 Conference.

Marketplace– Grand Foyer and Grand Canyon 7 & 8

6:00 pm

Ask Inc.’s Norm Brodsky Anything

From serial entrepreneur to angel investor to Inc. columnist and best-selling co-author of Street Smarts, Norm Brodsky has just about done it all. And he’s here at the Inc. 5000 Conference to help you. Stop by the Dell booth for personal, one-on-one advice from Brodsky. During the hour, he’ll sign copies of his book (free while supplies last) and take your business questions.

Norm Brodsky’s office hours: 6–7 p.m.

Marketplace – Grand Canyon 7 & 8 (Dell Lounge)

6:00 pm

Meet the Speaker Book Signing

Adam Grant

Bookstore – Grand Canyon 7 & 8

Thursday, October 16

12:45 pm

Inc. 5000 Networking Lunch

Enjoy a delicious meal as you get to know your fellow conference attendees and make lasting connections with potential partners, colleagues, and friends.

Marketplace – Grand Canyon 7 & 8 and Sunset Lawn

4:45 pm

Networking Happy Hour

It’s time to relax and unwind. Come have a drink and network with your peers. Meet and connect with some of the seasoned entrepreneurs and experts speaking at the conference; chat with the editors and columnists of Inc. and Inc.com; and mingle with past and present honorees of the Inc. 500|5000 list. Let’s all raise our glasses to a great day at the Inc. 5000 Conference. Please also venture outside to spend time with Mercedes-Benz Vans offering interactive experiences:

Mercedes-Benz Performance Center (MPC) – Enhance your golf game with this interactive mobile golf performance tour. MPC provides all the necessary tools to improve. Those who register are eligible to win a $500 GAP gift card.

Grand Foyer and Grand Canyon 7 & 8 and Sunset Lawn

6:00 pm

Meet the Editors Networking Dinner

During this exclusive event, you will have the opportunity to chat and chew with Inc. editors and some of your favorite Inc.com columnists as well as fellow conference attendees in this casual fun-filled setting. Pre-registration is required. There is an additional fee to participate.

Conference Party: Arabian Nights

Sponsored by Ink from Chase

All are invited to travel with us to a far, faraway land full of festive revelry and abundant delight. Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere, delicious bites, and the finest spirits as you mingle with your fellow conference attendees. Be sure to partake in the fun and games and engaging networking throughout this vibrant evening. Conference badges required for entry.

Ballroom Lawn

Friday, October 17

1:00 pm

Inc. 5000 Networking Lunch

Enjoy a delicious meal as you take this opportunity to get to know your fellow conference attendees and make lasting connections with potential partners, colleagues, and friends.

Marketplace – Grand Canyon 7 & 8 and Sunset Lawn

5:00 pm

Inc. 500|5000 Cocktail Reception

The festivities commence with a lovely cocktail reception in honor of our awardees. Come dressed in your finest attire for an evening of celebratory splendor. We welcome all Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 honorees to take official Inc. 500|5000 Awards Ceremony photos. Our professional photographers will be on hand to capture this special moment for you and your company. Photo sessions will conclude prior to the start of the gala and resume at its conclusion.

Sunset Lawn

7:00 pm

Inc. 500|5000 Black-Tie Gala & Awards Ceremony

Feast on a four-course gourmet meal as the evening continues in celebration of this year’s Inc. 500|5000 companies. The program will include presentations highlighting the award-winners, including the top ranked company, as well as congratulatory remarks. The evening concludes with champagne toast and dancing.